Forster flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Forster
(Mid Murray Council, SA) - 11.22 km², mapped from live council and
state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained.
Profile updated 3 October 2026.
Suburb-wide figures; the free map shows which overlays touch your lot.
Constraint readout
11.22 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Forster's boundary, with the flood, bushfire and environmental overlays drawn on top. Magenta is where aircraft were observed in the sampled period, brightest below 3,000 ft.
Nearby suburbs, nearest first
Aircraft noise and flight paths over Forster
Two different things, kept apart on purpose. The ANEF contour is the planning instrument - a forecast published per airport that planning schemes use to control noise-sensitive development. Observed overflight is what a sampled aircraft-tracking feed actually recorded over the suburb - where aircraft flew, how low and how often.
Observed overflight - sampled 4 Sep to 3 Oct 2026
Night movements: not established - night is sampled as often as day, but too few night flights have been seen here to conclude either way.
Traffic is sampled rather than watched continuously, so every figure is a floor: aircraft not captured between samples are not represented. Rates are per 500 m square - the busiest square in the suburb, not a count of flights over the suburb - and a square is only rated where enough traffic was seen to measure it. Altitudes are above mean sea level. Flight paths change with runway use, weather, season and airspace design. This is a record of observed traffic; it is not a noise contour and not a planning control.
Forster at a glance
How Forster is zoned
Selling in Forster? The zone and overlays on this page are the Planning and Design Code controls a Form 1 vendor's statement has to disclose.
Across its 11.22 km², Forster is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 100% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 100% is flagged bushfire-prone. The dominant land-use zone is Rural. The median lot measures about 24,300 m² across 46 parcels.
Who lives in Forster
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Forster suburb boundary itself, not a wider region.
Socio-economic standing
ABS SEIFA 2021 ranks every Australian suburb. Decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth of the country, decile 10 the least.
Score 920, and decile 2 within South Australia. The national average is 1000.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Mannum, the wider ABS statistical area containing Forster. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Forster itself.
5,925 in 2001 to 7,012 in 2025, up 18%.
Source: ABS Census 2021 and SEIFA 2021 (Suburbs and Localities), Regional Population (SA2), CC BY 4.0. Small counts are randomly adjusted by the ABS.
Forster data sources and coverage
“Not mapped” means we hold no source layer for this suburb - never an all-clear.
| Dataset | Coverage | Publisher |
|---|---|---|
| Flood mapping | Mapped | the South Australian Planning and Design Code and Location SA spatial data |
| Bushfire-prone mapping | Mapped | the South Australian Planning and Design Code and Location SA spatial data |
| Zoning | Mapped | the South Australian Planning and Design Code and Location SA spatial data |
| Heritage and environment | Mapped where published | the South Australian Planning and Design Code and Location SA spatial data |
| Aircraft noise contours (ANEF) | Not held | the South Australian Planning and Design Code and Location SA spatial data, Defence |
| Observed flight paths | Observed | adsb.lol, under the Open Database License |
| Demographics | Available | Australian Bureau of Statistics (2021 Census and SEIFA) |
Profile last materially updated 3 October 2026. See the methodology and full source list. Source data changes over time and critical decisions should be checked with the responsible authority.
Check a specific Forster address
See exactly which overlays touch a single property - the interactive map is free. Need it on paper? A full planning PDF is just $9.
The report's Aircraft Overflight page narrows that to the address itself: how many aircraft a day, how low, and at what heights.
Building or pricing a slab? The $119 geotechnical desktop report covers geology, soils, bores and an indicative AS 2870 site class for a Forster lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Forster planning - frequently asked
Is Forster flood-prone?
About 100% of Forster falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 48%.
Is Forster bushfire-prone?
Around 100% of Forster is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Mid Murray Council average of 100%.
Is Forster under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed over about 10% of Forster in the period sampled, but only above 3,000 ft - the lowest measured was 5,500 ft. Traffic is sampled rather than watched continuously and flight paths change with runway use, weather and season; the ANEF contour is the planning instrument.
What is the zoning in Forster?
The dominant planning zone in Forster is Rural, though the suburb also includes Conservation and Rural Shack Settlement.
Does Forster have heritage-listed places?
No heritage-listed places are on record within Forster.
What is the typical lot size in Forster?
Across 46 surveyed parcels in Forster, the median lot size is about 24,300 m².
Is Forster an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Forster scores 920 and sits in decile 2 of 10 nationally and decile 2 within South Australia (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wongulla | 3.3 km | 100% | 100% |
| Black Hill | 8.2 km | 0% | 100% |
| Walker Flat | 8.9 km | 49% | 100% |
| Sunnydale | 9.8 km | 100% | 100% |
| Nildottie | 10.0 km | 24% | 100% |
| Purnong | 11.3 km | 49% | 100% |
| Big Bend | 11.6 km | 100% | 100% |
| Punyelroo | 14.5 km | 100% | 100% |
| Caurnamont | 15.1 km | 100% | 100% |
| Old Teal Flat | 15.5 km | 100% | 100% |